The present invention comprises a new and distinct cultivar of Pelargonium hortorum which is a zonal geranium known by the varietal name Carnival. The new variety (Oglevee No. Carnival, Denholm No. 50662) was discovered in a selective breeding program by Mr. Blair L. Winner. The variety was derived from the F5 generation of the F1 pink.times.Ivalo. The variety differs from Ivalo in flower color pattern with the spots on the petals of the new variety being larger and deeper than the parentage. The flower type is single as opposed to semi-double for Ivalo.
The new cultivar was discovered in February of 1983 at Denholm Seeds in Lompoc, Calif., was first asexually reproduced by cuttings by Denholm Seeds at Lompoc, Calif., and has been repeatedly asexually reproduced by cuttings at Oglevee Associates, Inc. in Connellsville, Pa. over a 36 month period. It has also been trial and field tested at Connellsville, Pa. yearly since the spring of 1984. It has been found to retain its distinctive characteristics through successive propagations.
The new cultivar, when grown in a glass greenhouse in Connellsville, Pa. using full natural light, 60.degree. F. night temperature, 68.degree. F. day temperature and 71.degree. F. vent temperature and grown in a soilless media employing constant fertilizer of 275-300 parts per million nitrogen and potassium, has a response time from a rooted cutting to a flowering plant in a 10 cm pot of six weeks.